Hiring a House Cleaner

You’ve finally had it! You’re tired of working all day and then coming home to a dirty house. I get it! You’ve been procrastinating on housework because you just don’t have the time. It’s time to make more time for yourself and focus on the important things you want to be doing, instead of cleaning your house.

The solution is simple, but sometimes may be a little daunting. You want to hire a person or a company to take the stress off your shoulders. It’s time to look for a house cleaner. Where in the world do you start? You’ve done a few online searches, read a few reviews, and made a couple of calls. I want you to think of yourself as a business manager for a moment. You are hiring an employee. What is the most important part of hiring? The interview!

Hiring a house cleaner isn’t any different. What questions should you ask? Here are what I feel are the most important questions that should be a part of the interview process.

1. Are you licensed and insured? 

This is the question that makes it or breaks it. If they cannot answer yes and show you proof of their license and insurance, this is where the interview should end. Licensing shows that they take their occupation seriously and have provided all necessary documents to become licensed in their state. Insurance shows that they will take responsibility for the job if anything is accidentally damaged or an employee gets hurt.

2. How do you determine your rates?

Everyone is different. The most common are charging hourly or by the square footage of the house. It is best to know how many square feet your home is and have that available during the interview. (Note: It is best to know your budget and know what you can afford before you start the hiring process. Let the person or company you are interviewing know your budget, so they can let you know what services they can provide to stay within your budget.)

3. Do you run background checks and test your employees for drugs? 

This person or an employee of theirs will potentially be in your home and have access to your valuables. It is always important to have peace of mind knowing the person cleaning your home does not have any convictions that may give you doubt about whether your belongings are safe or not. Drug testing is important, not only for knowing the person(s) cleaning your home is in the right state of mind but also as a safeguard against insurance claims. Insurance will not cover damaged property or cover medical expenses if something unfortunate happens and they test positive for drugs.

4. Do you carry worker’s compensation? 

While General Liability will cover any person(s) that may be hurt on the job up to a certain amount, it is a requirement in most states for a business that has employees to carry worker’s compensation. If they don’t carry workers’ compensation they are most likely paying under the table and their “employees” are not covered by insurance.

5. Do you feel comfortable around pets? 

This is an important question! Not only is this question for the safety of your fur babies, but also for the safety of your house cleaner. It is best to let the person or company you are interviewing know what type and how many pets you own.  If they are uncomfortable around pets you have two options. You can either search for someone who is okay with animals or have your animals out of the house or in a room the house cleaner does not have access to. (Tip: If they are all right with pets, it is important to introduce your furry friends to their new potential house cleaner. After all, it is their house as well.)

6. How will you enter my home? 

If you plan on being out of the home during the set time for cleaning, it is important to make sure the housekeeper can access your home. It’s your decision on how you would like that to be done. You can have an extra key made, leave a key, give them a key code, or leave a door unlocked for their access. This decision is completely yours.

7. Do you guarantee satisfaction? 

This is a very important question as it does set the expectation for both parties. The company/person does expect their employees to do their best and get the job right the first time. You, however, are paying for a service and should expect them to meet your expectations. The key to this is to do a walkthrough of the home, have a list of what you would like done in each room, or make sure they are taking notes. Having a list ready does save time during the interview. This lays the expectations out so both parties know what to look for at the time of service. If a mistake is made or they missed something, it is important to know, if they will come back free of charge or if you will have to compensate them for coming back to your home.

These are what we feel are the most important questions to ask, but don’t be afraid to add a few more! The more information you gather the better! We would love to hear your thoughts. What do you think are the most important questions to ask? 

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